Safety appliance



June 17 1924. 1,497,694

J. NEFF. SR

SAFETY APPLIANCE Original Filed Sept. 16. '1921 @W s aJ-W/WZUA-l aka-M04 wpliances,

Patented June 17, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN NEE-"F, $3., 011' WEST HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY AP PLIA-NOE.

Application filed September 16, 1921, Serial No. 501,094. Renewed April 30, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

7 Be it known that I, JOHN Nnrr, Sn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of West Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of N ew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Apof which the following is a specificatlon.

My present invention relates primarily to safety appliances and particularly to guards to prevent persons from falling out of win dows.

The common pulley lines are a source of danger to the house-worker in that she is ordinarily compelled in applying or removing the wash, not only to lean out of the Window but to reach out sidewise in order to manipulate the clothes line which extends from the side of the window frame. My invention. although of application to window guards broadly, in a preferred specific embodiment is designed particularly to eliminate the danger. of a person losing her balance and falling from the window while hanging out or drawing in the wash from the line and, moreover, to render this proc ess more convenient and less tiring.

In the, preferred embodiment, I provide a combined window guard and clothes line holder, although if desired, the invention may be carried out as an improved clothes line holder without the window guard feature and as already suggested, the window guard feature may be used independently of the clothes line holder feature.

It is an object of the invention to provide a clothes line holder which shall permit of convenient handling of the clothes line without the need for leaning out of the window or handling the line from the side ofthe window and which clothes line holder shall yet be inobtrusive when the houseworker is not handling the line.

Another object is to provide a window guard of inexpensive construction which shall be susceptible of the window and which shall be readily adjustable for windows of different widths.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction here inafter set forth and the scope of the applieasy application to shown a combined window and clothes line holder comprising a cast or forged frame structure including preferably a pair ofparallel horizontal socket or sleeve elements 2 and 3 for lodging the ends of guard rods or tubes 4 and 5 telescoped thereinto as at 6 and secured in place by set screws 7. The socket elements 2 and 3 are connected by cross-bars 8 and 9 integral therewith to form-a generally rectangular frame structure with a central opening 10. The frame piece has an integral upwardly extending arm 11 provided with a lateral lug 12 em bracing the upper end of a post 13 resting at its lower end 14 in a thrust support 15 formed in :1 lug 16 integral with the frame structure. A- sleeve 17 encircles the post immediately below thelug 12 and is secured in place by means of a set screw 18 to prevent looseness. A washline pulley 19 of generally conventional construction has an eye or loop 20 on its frame 21 fitting over the end of the post 13 and above lug 12 and is held from coming loose by means of a collar 22 encircling the uppermost end of the rodand held in place thereon by a set screw 22. Formed integrally with the sleeves 2 and 3 of theframe structure and extending outwardly therefrom are a pair of lateral lugs 23 and 24 by which the bracket is supported. r

In Fig. 1 is shown a window casing viewed from the exterior of the buildin upon which the appliance thus far describe is mounted. As shown, the width of the frame piece is preferably about one-fourth to one-fifth the width of the window and extends preferably at the left side ofthe window (the right viewed from the exterior of the building).

The mount ing means for the appliance I and 24 of the frame structure shall fit;

comprises preferably a supporting bracket 25 screwed as at 26 to one side of the window" frame" and is 'provided with integral lugs 27 and '28 between which the lugs 22 pin 29 is then extended through apertures '30 in the four lugs and forms a pivotal I similarly disposed with respect to guard All rod t. pin 35 extends through all four eyes and constitutes a stop against outward movement of the guard rods beyond the win dow frame about thQ Pivot pin 29 as an axis. willbe'seen thatfthe appliance is readily adjustable in length to adapt it for appica'ti'on to windows of various widths. For this purpose, it is merely necessary to loosen the; set screws '7 and, to draw the grate-reds, fw r-dly' outwa y to the required'extent and then to again tighten he. a i'ews willbe" understood that the ordinary c'lethes line is] installed to pass over the pulley. l9," With the device applied as shown 1 the guard rodswillprevent the p'ersonfrom falling, out of the window, the pulley, moreover, is conveniently disposed between'the sides of the window frame'rather than outside or beyond the window frame, so that the person can stand in frontof the window withoutihaving to lean out or reach sidewise in "applying or emov ng the Wash- Whle thewash 's hung out to dry, it'is preferable to leave the guard in the posit on shown in Fig. 1. for safety and for conveni,en'ce,when later the wash is to be drawn in. Even when the wash line is not being used, it is advantageous to keep the guard l nithe, operative position shown'as a protection 'particularly for children. If desired,

howeyan entire guard may be readily moved to inobtrusive positionl For this purpose, the, is merely drawn up to free the. ends. of thet guard bars at, and 5 in order to'permit the entire guard to mojveioutyva rdly about pivot pin 29 as an axis to extend to the sidejof the window and 7 aga nst the outside of the building. Duriii-l b s swi in m ment, he p y 19 about ts. ve tic l a 1 e p in in proper alignrhent with the wash line so that the'lineiwill'not twist, bind or jump The line will slaoken somewhat during} swinging IlQYGmQnt, which,

theljefhg'e, takes place easily. Whether the device 1s in inoperative or in operative position, it supports the wash line with substantially the same slack. When it is desired to again use the guard, it is drawn inward- 1y about the pivot pin 29 and the pin 35 is then passed downwardly through the four eyes to block outward movement.

In order to prevent loss of the pin 35, it is desirable to form an enlargement; 36 at the lower end thereof smaller than the inner diameters of the three eyes 31, and 33 but preferably larger than that of eye 34 so that the pin 35 can be readily raised out of the range of the two guard rods, but cannot be removed from the upper pair of eyes. Thus I have provided a convenient and inexpensive combined window guard and clothes line holder, which can be easily applied to the window with the use merely of a screw-driver or hammer, to screw or nail the bracket 2-5 to the window frame, the

eyes 31, 32, 33 and 34 being applied by hand.

The opening 10 between the arms and sleeves of the bracket, it will be seen forms a convenient rest or support for wash rags and the like.

If desired, a small round-headed plunger 37 may be provided as in the upper window frame lug 27 for instance, and pressed downwardly vby a coil spring 38 to extend into a corresponding depression 39 in the associated lug 23 on the frame piece when the depression is in registry therewith. Preferably the depression is so arranged as to come into registry with the lug when the guard is in the ino )erative position at the outside of the buil ing and to one side of the window. The lug fitting in the depression will act as a lock to prevent swinging or rattling of the device in windy weather, but will yield to permit moving the guard by hand to operative position.

It is, of course, apparent that, if desired, the guard may be moved about its pivot pin 29 to extend inwardly into the room.

Although I prefer to employ the combined window guard and clothes line holder substantially in the form set forth. it will be understood that I have provided a window guard of general application for use at any window to protect children particularly, useful independently of the clothes line holding feature. It is also apparent that, if desired, the clothes line holding frame may be employed apart from the window guard rods for convenience in handling the line without the added protective feature of the cross bars. I prefer. however, the spe' cific construction shown and described.

It will thus be seen that there is herein described apparatus in which the several features of this invention are embodied, and which apparatus in its action attains the various objects of the invention and is well suited to meet the requirements of practical use.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent of the United States is 1. In a clothes line holder, in combination, a bracket having pivot lugs, coacting lugs on the side of a window frame and a vertical pivot pin connecting said lugs for movement of said bracket about said pin as an axis, a vertical post mounted in said bracket and extending upward therefrom and movable with said bracket about said pivot pin through substantially 180 degrees, a wash line pulley having a supporting collar encircling the upper end of said post and rotatable thereabout and means retaining said pulley against undesired removal from said post. v

2. In a window guard, in combination, a pair of rods extending across the window, means on one side of the window frame to secure said rods at one end, eyes secured to the opposite side of the window frame, a vertical pin extending through said eyes and supported thereby to block the outward movement of the free ends of said rods, said pin having an enlargement at its lower end of greater dimensions than the opening in the upper of the eyes.

3. A combined window guard and clothes line holder comprising in combination, a guard member extending across the window, means for mounting said member to be swung about a vertical axis at one side of the window frame, means at the opposite side of the window frame for maintaining the free end of said guard member in operative position, and a clothes line pulley sup ported upon said guard member at a point remote from said free end.

4. A combined window guard and clothes line holder comprising in combination, a member extending across the window, means for connecting said member to be swung about a vertical axis, at one side of the window frame, and a clothes line pulley supported upon said member, said pulley including a supporting frame pivoted to swing about a vertical axis.

5. In a combined window guard and clothes line holder, in combination, a member extending across the window at the lower part thereof, means mounted on one side of the window frame to pivotally support said member at one end, means at the other side of the window frame to prevent outward movement of said member at the other end, an element supported by said member between the ends thereof and extending upwardly therefrom, and a clothes line pulley carried by said member.

6. In a combined window guard and clothes line holder, in combination, a frame piece, a pair of parallel guard rods secured at one end of said frame piece and a vertical post supported by said frame piece, said frame piece having an integral upwardly extending arm for sustaining the post near the upper end thereof, a pulley pivotally mounted about the upper end of said post, and support lugs formed integrally with one side of said frame piece.

7. The combination set forth in claim 6 in which the guard rods fit into corresponding sockets in the frame piece, and in which set screws clamp said rods in adjusted position for application to windows of different widths.

8. In a combined window guard and clothes line holder, in combination, an integral frame structure having support lugs at one end thereof, coacting lugs on one side of the window frame, a pivot pin extending through said lugs to form a vertical pivotal mount for said structure, horizontal guard rods fitting at one end into corresponding sockets in said structure and extending outwardly therefrom substantially the entire width of the window, set screws for securing said guard rods in said sockets in adjusted position, a stop pin supported at the opposite side of the window frame to prevent outward movement of said guard rods from the plane of the window frame, a vertical rod supported by said frame structure at the end thereof opposite said support lugs, said structure having an integral support portion near the lower end thereof for sustaining said rod, and an integral vertically extending arm for holding said rod near its upper end, and a clothes line pulley having a frame pivoted about said rod and above said arm, and means to prevent undesired removal of said pulley frame from said rod.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 15th day of September, A. D. 1921.

JOHN NEFF, SR. 

